NLS Press Release

Second round of user tests refine system features that will enhance reading
for patrons

In a second round of user-needs tests, patrons of the National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped (NLS), the Library of Congress's talking-book program, underscored
the need for a system that is durable, lightweight, and easy to use.

"With each round of testing, NLS gains a deeper understanding of user and librarian needs,
which helps us further refine player requirements and design," says Frank Kurt Cylke, NLS
director. "Patron and librarian feedback is essential to building the best machine possible."

Sixty-nine current and potential patrons with varied visual, physical, and
cognitive impairments participated in the study. Users ranged from children
to seniors and were grouped by gender, age, and skill. Testing was facilitated
by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in Baltimore and Cleveland and
by the Trace Research and Development Center of the University of Wisconsin
at Madison. Interviews with library staff also yielded valuable insights into
the cartridge and player's functionality.

"This series of usability tests was intended to see if engineers are getting the design
right from the perspective of librarians and patrons," notes Michael Moodie, NLS deputy
director. "From the results of these tests, we were able to validate and refine some
requirements and turn them into specifications for the machine."

For the first time, users conducted operational tasks on models of talking-book
cartridges and players. The models incorporated suggestions and feedback from initial
user tests. While constructed of a special modeling foam, these models had functional
buttons that were connected to actual digital talking-book recordings to simulate reading.
This study is an essential part of the NLS project to convert its current cassette system
to a digital flash-memory format by 2008.

More than 23 million copies of recorded and braille books and magazines were circulated
to a readership of 799,718 in 2004. The International Union Catalog provides access to
423,500 titles (19 million copies). Audiobook readers borrow an average of 31 books and
magazines a year. Braille readers average 20 books and magazines a year.

An overview of the NLS digital talking-book project may be found in Current
Strategic Business Plan for the Implementation of Digital Systems at www.loc.gov/nls/businessplan/index.html.
For enrollment information, visit www.loc.gov/nls or call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323).